Durham public board sets spending priorities

Full-day kindergarten full implementation big focus

Durham District School Board office

DURHAM -- The Durham District School Board has passed a balanced budget, which includes the implementation of full-day kindergarten with an increase of more than 100 classes.

At the last board meeting of the school year, trustees approved the budget, which includes total expenses of $773 million, meeting the Ministry of Education’s budget requirements.

“We are very grateful to staff who managed to work within a very challenging provincial funding framework to ensure we were able to meet our balanced budget requirement while maintaining services to meet student needs and improve achievement,” said Scugog Trustee Carolyn Morton, finance committee chairwoman.

She said it’s wonderful to see the full roll-out of full-day kindergarten, which will help support the board’s youngest learners. Trustee Morton said she is also pleased to see a mental health lead position, and it being recognized as an ongoing need.

We are very grateful to staff who managed to work within a very challenging provincial funding framework to ensure we were able to meet our balanced budget requirement while maintaining services to meet student needs and improve achievement. Scugog Trustee Carolyn Morton, finance committee chairwoman

The budget continues to support special education resources, despite changes to ministry funding formulas that negatively impact special education funding for the board. There is also a provision for staff release time in support of school improvement planning and implementation. The budget includes advanced placement of school-based administration to support two new schools set to open in 2015-2016 -- a new secondary school in Brooklin and the new public school in Ajax.

For 2014-2015, board enrolment is projected to increase by 3,902, primarily due to the full implementation of full-day kindergarten. The elementary panel is expected to increase by 4,867 while the secondary panel is expected to decline by 965.

Seven full-time teaching positions will be lost, but there will be no layoffs; everything will be handled through attrition.

The roll-out of full-day kindergarten will require an extra 110 early childhood educators and educational assistants.